Manhattan, NY — La Traviata Pizzeria, located at 101 West 68th Street on the Upper West Side, received a score of 55 during a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on March 31, 2026, placing it in Grade C territory. The inspection data was released by DOHMH on April 2, 2026.

The inspection identified one critical violation and no non-critical violations. Despite the single violation on record, the score of 55 reflects the weighted severity assigned to the cited condition under the city's penalty scoring system.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors cited La Traviata Pizzeria for a critical violation under Code 02G: cold temperature-controlled for safety (TCS) food items held above 41°F. This category of violation also covers smoked or processed fish held above 38°F, intact raw eggs held above 45°F, and reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) TCS foods held above their required temperatures, except during active necessary preparation.

The specific items involved were not detailed in the public inspection record. However, the violation indicates that perishable foods requiring refrigeration were not being maintained at temperatures sufficient to inhibit bacterial growth at the time of the inspection.

Food Safety Context

Temperature control is one of the foundational principles of food safety. The NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code both establish specific temperature thresholds for perishable foods because bacterial pathogens — including Salmonella, Listeria, and Staphylococcus aureus — can multiply rapidly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F.

For restaurants, maintaining cold TCS foods at or below 41°F is a baseline operational requirement. Violations in this category are classified as critical because they represent a direct potential pathway to foodborne illness if not corrected. Under DOHMH scoring guidelines, critical violations carry significantly higher point values than non-critical violations, which explains how a single cited condition can produce a score as high as 55.

A score in the Grade C range (28 points or above) requires the restaurant to post a Grade C card — or a Grade Pending card while the establishment seeks an administrative hearing to contest the score — until a subsequent inspection results in an improved grade.

Inspection History

La Traviata Pizzeria has a notably strong inspection record in recent years, making the March 2026 result a departure from its established pattern:

  • June 11, 2026: Score 12 (Grade A)
  • June 27, 2024: Score 5 (Grade A)
  • March 10, 2023: Score 9 (Grade A)
  • February 3, 2022: Score 12 (Grade A)
  • August 24, 2021: Score 38 (Grade C)

The restaurant earned Grade A scores in each of its four most recent inspections prior to March 2026, including a near-perfect score of 5 in June 2024. The August 2021 inspection also resulted in a Grade C with a score of 38, suggesting the establishment has previously navigated and resolved compliance issues. The June 2026 inspection — which occurred after the March 2026 data was released — returned a score of 12, indicating the restaurant returned to Grade A status.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City's letter grading system is based on the numeric score assigned during a DOHMH sanitary inspection. Scores reflect the total penalty points assessed for all violations found during a single visit:

  • Grade A: Score of 0 to 13 points
  • Grade B: Score of 14 to 27 points
  • Grade C: Score of 28 points or more

Inspections are unannounced and conducted by DOHMH environmental health inspectors. Restaurants that receive a score above 13 on an initial inspection are subject to a re-inspection, at which point the resulting grade is posted publicly.

All New York City restaurant inspection records are publicly available through the DOHMH's online database at nyc.gov/health. Residents can search inspection histories, scores, and violation details by restaurant name or address.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for La Traviata Pizzeria including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.